One More Page
by disillusionist9
Summary: "You know, I think this is where your sweets obsession started" - Sirius visits Remus in the Hospital Wing. Wolfstar, One-Shot.


Everything about werewolves is extreme. A werewolf isn't good at something, they're great at it.

Remus happens to be very good at getting sick.

I watched Lily put her hand on Remus' forehead, reaching across the table over breakfast in the Great Hall, and her mouth fall from a curious frown to a concerned lip bite. Remus looked uncomfortable and like he wanted to swat her hand away, but he wouldn't dare do it. Not to Lily, at least, because she would probably swat him in return, and much harder.

"You should see Pomfrey," James said between mouthfuls of porridge. I swear, every day since Lily agreed to go to Hogsmeade with him, the two got closer to "old married couple" status, reading each other's minds and finishing each other's sentences. Peter piped up in agreement almost instantaneously.

Remus reacted exactly like we thought he would, and ignored James's comment, instead bringing up plans for our Halloween prank.

Not one Marauder was surprised when McGonagall told us before Transfiguration that he was up in the hospital wing with a fever, and would likely be there the rest of the day and night. As soon as the bell sounded through the castle for the end of the class, our last class of the day, I took care to leave the classroom as quickly but as nonchalantly as possible. I didn't notice the sly look McKinnon gave me as I slipped out.

The trip up the stairs to the Hospital was familiar, and if it weren't Remus stuck there for something that was decidedly not a prank or joke, it would bring back fond memories of years past: Animagus transformation accidents we passed off as human transfiguration practice…broken bones from Quidditch…what it recalled were the moments I visited James when he was checked for dragonpox, and when Dorcas came up to be treated for hex scars after a nasty scene with the Carrows last Christmas.

Thankfully, though my eyes were hidden under my hair the whole walk, I didn't run into anyone on their way down to dinner in the Great Hall. I didn't much feel like speaking to anyone, not with Remus in the Hospital for the fourth time that year already.

Madame Pomfrey smiled when she saw me walking towards the bed in the corner. The curtains weren't drawn, which was out of the ordinary for his visits, but it wasn't the full moon. After the transformation his skin was too sensitive for anything to touch it. There were many nights I'd carried him to the hospital wing, covered in one of the high-thread count sheets I'd stolen from home, and left him behind the curtain to heal.

"Hey," I said, pausing next to his bed. Tucking my hands into my robe pockets, I gave him a once over, my head cocked to the side.

"You look like Padfoot when you do that," Remus noted. His voice was a lot stronger than I expected. Werewolves didn't _just_ get fevers in the new moon, after all. He looked like he'd spent part of the afternoon on his knees over porcelain.

I grinned at him, settling down on the bed near his knees. "I always look like Padfoot, you idiot."

Remus smiled at me, and my heart broke a little, because I remembered I hadn't seen him smile in a few days.

"You're right. Of course you're right."

"Yeah," I said, shaking the depressing thought away as I brushed hair from my eyes. "Of course I am."

Silence. We didn't really do silence, but here we were, alone in the hospital wing. Silent. I didn't break his gaze for several minutes but the Alpha wolf in Remus gently forced me into submission as one of his pack, and I ducked my head to look at his hands instead.

"You're reading that again?" I asked, reaching out for the book tucked in the hand furthest from me.

He held it back from my reach defensively. "So what if I am?"

I rolled my eyes and reached out further, my chest pressing down onto his knees beneath the scratchy quilt. "Give it, Moony. You're being a prat. Let me read some to you."

My comment did its job, catching him off guard enough to loosen his grip on _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_.

"You know, I think this is where your sweets obsession started," I said cheekily.

Remus smiled again, a bit wider this time, even reaching up to push my arm. "Shut up and read it, Pads."

"Sounds like you enjoy the sound of my voice."

There was that blasted silence again. Why the fuck did I say that? I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

Ignoring the awkward moment, I opened the story to the bookmarked page. A few pages in, I moved further up the bed to sit next to him, poring over the pages. By the time I'd read a few more paragraphs I needed to lean back against the headboard as well, to relieve the kink in my neck.

Remus sagged against me after another page, his head resting on my shoulder. My voice lost strength and I slowly stopped reading in favor of watching his lips slowly open, his cheeks flushed from his fever.

Then, he sort of huffed, and licked his lips slowly. I could watch him do that for hours.

"Keep going," he muttered, shamelessly snuggling against me more firmly.

My mind didn't take in what he said right away, and I could feel him laugh against my ribcage when I asked him to repeat himself.

"One more page," he whispered, now fully tucked under my right arm. "I do like the sound of your voice."

I didn't know what to say, my throat went dry watching Remus wet his lips and believing he had no idea how he made me feel, so I picked back up where I left off.

" _We are all a great deal luckier than we realize, we usually get what we want - or near enough_."

~FIN~

Requested by **tsundokued** on tumblr.


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